A case of breast cancer in the axillary tail of Spence – enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography for diagnostic differentiation and preoperative treatment decision

The management of cancer in the axillary area depends on the etiology of the tumor.

A 37-year-old woman presented with a 2 cm mass in the axillary fossa. Core needle biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma. There were no abnormal breast findings on physical examination, mammography, or ultrasonography. However, enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) showed a segmentally-distributed, abnormal area in the upper-outer quadrant, continuous with the axillary mass. Samples of this area obtained by vacuum-assisted biopsy showed intraductal carcinoma. These findings indicated that the axillary lesion was a part of primary breast cancer originating from the axillary tail. Based on these results, the patient underwent total mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy. Pathological examination of the specimen showed invasive ductal carcinoma accompanied by intraductal carcinoma extending up to 8.5 cm. Our case suggests that enhanced MRI and PET can provide useful preoperative information for the management of axillary breast lesions.